Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Kenney Morrison played for the Lloydminster Tanroc Bobcats midget AAA team in the Alberta Midget Hockey League. He had 7 assists with 14 penalty minutes in 34 games. The Bobcats finished seventh in the Dodge Division, one point out of a playoff spot.

2009-10: Morrison played one game of junior A hockey with the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and was one of the top defensemen for the Bobcats’ midget AAA team. He had no points with 2 penalty minutes in his only AJHL game. Morrison scored 7 goals with 18 assists and 52 penalty minutes in 35 regular season as the Tanroc Bobcats finished first in the Dodge Division. Lloydminster reached the AMHL finals before falling to Chrysler Division champion Red Deer. Morrison scored 2 goals with 7 assists and 10 penalty minutes in 10 playoff games.

2010-11: Morrison moved to British Columbia to skate for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in the BCHL. He scored 8 goals with 27 assists and 26 penalty minutes in 55 regular season games. The Bulldogs finished sixth in the Coastal Division and were swept by Langley in a first-round playoff series. Morrison had 2 assists with 2 penalty minutes in four playoff games. He was selected by the Omaha Lancers in the fifth round (71st overall) in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft.

2011-12: Morrison joined the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and committed to playing college hockey at Western Michigan University in 2012-13 in November. He scored 15 goals with 19 assists and was +4 with 44 penalty minutes in 57 regular season games. The Lancers finished second in the Western Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Morrison was -5 with no points nor penalties in three playoff games.

2012-13: Morrison skated in 38 games for Western Michigan University as a freshman. He was the team’s third-leading scorer with 7 goals and 13 assists and was -2 with 32 penalty minutes. The Broncos finished third in the CCHA but were swept by eighth-place Michigan in the conference tournament quarterfinals and did not receive an NCAA tournament at-large bid.

2013-14: Morrison led Western Michigan defensemen in scoring for the second straight year in his sophomore season with the Broncos. He scored 4 goals with 15 assists in 40 games and was +2 with 83 penalty minutes. Western Michigan finished tied with Minnesota-Duluth for fourth place in the inaugural season of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. The Broncos reached the semifinals of the NCHC tournament but did not receive an NCAA tournament bid after falling to North Dakota in the conference’s third-place game.

2014-15: Morrison signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Calgary in March 2015 following his junior season at Western Michigan. He scored 5 goals with 10 assists and was -1 with 36 penalty minutes in 37 games in his final season of college hockey. Western Michigan finished seventh in the NCHC. The Broncos took first-place Miami to a decisive third game in the conference quarterfinals, falling 4-0.

Talent Analysis

Morrison a big defender with heavy, accurate shot from the point. Despite that powerful shot, he didn't score many goals during his three-year college career. Defensively, his game steadily improved and he is a well-rounded player.

Future

Morrison attended his first NHL training camp with the Flames and barring any surprises or injuries will begin his pro career with Calgary AHL affiliate Stockton in 2015-16. The Flames have a wealth of young defense prospects in their system but Morrison's combination of size and all-around play make him an option to play in all situations. He could be one of the first players called up by Calgary if an injury occurs.

Photo: Calgary Flames 2012 first-rounder Mark Jankowski put up six points in his first eight games with the Stockton Heat after turning pro this season (courtesy of Jack Lima/Stockton Heat)

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While the Calgary Flames’ NHL season did not end on much of a positive note, and their AHL affiliate Stockton Heat also missed a playoff berth, it is still a franchise very much in transition and trending the right direction. Despite a difficult year as an organization in the standings, there are a number of young talents to be excited about at all levels. When you go over the list of prospects and young players the Flames currently have in the fold, the feeling is that these difficult years are being put behind them. It has been an altogether difficult season for some, but for others there is recognition that is deserved.

Photo: Calgary Flames top prospect Sam Bennett doesn’t turn 20 until June but has used this season to become a full-time contributor to the offense (courtesy of Jose Quiroz/Icon Sportswire)

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The Calgary Flames prospect pipeline is an interesting combination when you look at it top to bottom.There is some exceptional high-end talent coupled with some depth players and role players, who seem like grinders at best. In other words, there may be a lack of middle ground from the high to the low. Nevertheless, the team has on hand some really strong blue-line depth and some reasonable center depth with several individual players having strong years. This is a system bristling with high end talent, but there is some considerable risk as well. There are some big moves and a few surprises in this mid-season rank to boot, so strap in.

Photo: Yale University product Ken Agostino has been one of the top pro prospects for the Calgary Flames over the last two seasons, and is a leader for the Stockton Heat in its first season in California (courtesy of Jack Lima)

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The struggles of the Calgary Flames in the 2015-16 season have been high-profile. They have failed to build upon a Cinderella run last year that saw the team beat the analytics and crash out after getting to the Division Finals. With struggles coming from the big club, you would like to at least see some good coming from their AHL affiliate in their inaugural season in Stockton, California. Unfortunately, it that has not been the case.

Photo: University of Denver forward and Boston Bruins prospect Danton Heinen was a scoring star in his freshman season, posting 16 goals and 45 points in 40 games in 2014-15 (courtesy of Corey Silvia/Icon Sportswire)

In 2015-16, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) features 45 NHL prospects representing all member schools, with each team having at least two prospects on their respective rosters. North Dakota leads with 12 prospects, followed by Nebraska-Omaha with nine. Read more»

Photo: Calgary Flames prospect Sam Bennett, along with Sean Monahan, provide the club with a formidable source of strength at center ice (courtesy of Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)

Calgary Flames General Manager Brad Treliving has acquired an embarrassment of riches in the course of his tenure, and recently started to see results from past drafts and acquisitions. After a surprising 2014-15 season, the Flames should shed the label of underdogs, as former prospects like Josh Jooris and Sean Monahan graduated along the way to leading the scrappy Flames into the playoffs.